A decadent menu for the stars

As an event planner the menu is always an important element of the event design process.  I happen to be a foodie, so I tend to place enormous emphasis on quality food and beverage in all events that I am involved with as it has always added a level of sophistication to the experience for guests as well as enhances the image for various hosts.  Every element of the event is a reflection of the host or brand’s perception and what you serve your guests is a large part of that.

So, Conde Nast Traveler published this weekend’s menu for the Governer’s Ball, post- Oscar’s and I thought it was absolutely share worthy!!  Caterered by the incredibly talented celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, he has designed a decadent menu, comprised of 30-35 small plates served cocktail party style!!  Wolfgang Puck has designed 19 Oscar menus’ over the years, and strives to surprise attendees each year with new dishes & creations.

Here are some highlights for the upcoming soiree’s menu that will be served to a crowd of 1600:

Clockwise from top left {image}: caprese cone {have never seen caprese served this way, love it!}; vegan pizza with pesto and grilled vegetables; chocolate pudding, cherries, chocolate crumble & vanilla cream; chocolate Oscars {of course}.

Also to be served:

Japanese Peach Salad

Kale Salad with grilled artichoke and lemon vinaigrette {would love the recipe for this, and if I get it, I will share it with you!!}.

Tuna Niçoise with green olives, fennel & caper anchovy vinaigrette, served in mini tuna cans {this may be my favorite due to the presentation} you can download the recipe for this here.

Farro, apple, beet & spiced walnut {served in cups or on spoons}.
There will also be an array of  small warm plates being served, including:

Chicken Pot Pie, topped with black truffles
Chestnut Tortellini, white truffles
Snake River Farms New York steak, matsutake mushrooms baked potato & caviar
Steamed red snapper, thai spice
Truffle macaroni and cheese {always a favorite} download recipe here
Lobster, black bean sauce
Slow braised lamb shank “Shepherd’s Pie”
Beluga lentils, cauliflower, baby vegetables

And for dessert…

Concord grape macaroons {with a white chocolate/concord grape filling}.  They sound amazing, however I would worry that these would turn guests mouths purple!!

Snowballs with cassis sorbet {sinful!}

So what do you think?  These are just some highlights of the 30+ small plates that will be served to the stars on Sunday evening, but I have to say, overall I am impressed with the design of this menu.  What would be the dish you would enjoy most out of all of these? I am hosting a small dinner party that evening and was planning a more casual dinner menu, however, I am now tempted to try to emulate some of these dishes for my guests {thank you for the inspiration Wolfgang!}.  You can download additional recipes from Wolfgang Puck’s Oscar party menus here.

Now that I’ve shared these beautiful dishes with you, I wish you a day filled with lots of wonderful things.

~Emmanuelle
xx